The Perfect Storm
by meggochondria
Summary: [ DRAGON AGE SPOILERS] Solas had exhausted all of his options and he was beginning to tell his tireless efforts were making a difference. She even opened her eyes once, for a mere moment, and recognized his face, reaching for him. Almost as soon as she had stirred, her eyes fluttered closed again and she convulsed. It was progress and that was all anyone had hoped for.


Prologue

The sound of the explosion was deafening and left Solas' ears ringing. A massive tear in the sky pulsated with energy, hurtling green masses to the earth.

The elf cursed to himself and pressed further, searching for the rescue party that had been sent in.

He could see the Qunari mercenaries searching through rubble, picking up stones that easily weighed twice as much as they did and throwing them like they were pebbles. Everyone remained silent through the search. The whispers among the crowds outside the conclave were claiming that there were no survivors and at that point, Solas had admitted to himself, that it seemed plausible. It was a terrible tragedy, one to be remembered for centuries to come. And it was all because of him.

Then, when nearly all hope had been lost, a shredding sound resounded through the air and another rift opened atop a large pile of boulders.

A small woman stumbled out, clutching her rib cage and gasping. She reached for the sky and then fainted.

Solas' mouth gaped at the sight. It was a wonder that anyone could physically trek through the Fade and come out of it alive. He ran forward to the pile of boulders, reaching it as one of the Qunari had picked her up and slung her over his shoulder like she was a doll made of straw.

Her mane of inky, black hair fell around her face and the anchor flared and rippled across her arm, threatening to overtake her.

A fierce looking woman appeared from the crowd, shouting orders at soldiers around her.

"Chain her. She might have the answers we need. Someone needs to pay for the death of the Divine." The elf watched as shackles were placed on the young woman's wrists and only then did he realize she was Elvhen. Dalish, by the looks of her vallaslin. Solas hurried forward, scared for the woman, knowing that in a few days time the anchor would kill her. It was like a poison spreading through her life's blood and it would not take long.

"Pardon, Lady Seeker", Solas approached the fierce looking woman who he now could identify as a Seeker by the emblems on her armor.

"Yes, elf? Who are you? Where did you come from?" Her tone was angry, but he knew she did not mean to sound cross with him. A tragedy such as this would leave the most peaceful and kind person in a ruined state.

"My name is Solas. I have studied quite a bit about the Fade. These demons coming from it...I am familiar with them. I was not far away when this…" He pointed up at the sky. "This _breach_ opened.

"I am Cassandra. Very well then... perhaps you can be of some use to us." Solas nodded at her and then gestured to the woman who now lay on a pile of blankets, still shackled.

"This woman may have the answers you want, but she is of no use to you dead. That mark that keeps flaring is going to kill her," He said, growing anxious by the minute. The small elf's body convulsed periodically. He watched as Cassandra's eyes slid to the woman and her mouth set into a hard line.

"We have no idea how to stop it", she sounded utterly defeated. "The divine is dead, and many others. We have no one to answer for this heinous crime. This elf is the only connection we have to the explosion. It is an impossibility that she even survived the blast...yet, here she lies, albeit dying."

Solas examined the woman from afar. Her long, black hair almost looked blue in the autumn sun and flared out about her. Her skin was as pale as snow, dotted by kisses from the summer sun. Her cheeks were flushed and lips parted, breathing heavily. If the situation had not been so dire, he would have marveled over her beauty longer. It had been a long time since he had tapped into feelings of attraction. It was almost foreign to him. He needed to be close to this Dalish elf in order to understand what had happened at the Conclave. Perhaps, he could even learn more about the Fade from her.

"Let me work with you. I have some ideas of how to contain the mark...or at least keep her stable until you can get the answers you're looking for." Cassandra nodded at him.

"We have a place for her. Follow me."

The next several days, Solas spent his every waking moment at this young woman's bedside. No one knew who she was or how she had come to the Conclave so Solas had resorted to calling her 'Telanadas', the Elvish phrase for 'Nothing is inevitable'.

There were moments where he thought he'd lost her, then by some miracle her heart pounded back to life, fighting against the poison of the anchor.

In that time, Cassandra had begun gathering people in order to take on the Breach, but nothing the Seeker could do was keeping the demons at bay. The hole the sky seemed to be growing and the amount of demons spilling forth were multiplying daily.

Solas had exhausted all of his options and he was beginning to tell his tireless efforts were making a difference. She even opened her eyes once, for a mere moment, and recognized his face, reaching for him. Almost as soon as she had stirred, her eyes fluttered closed again and she convulsed. It was progress and that was all anyone had hoped for.


End file.
